When Bai Lan first spoke of it, she said this Dragon Pill required a Physique level of 3000 to consume, otherwise, one would explode and die! Ye Chen’s heart throbbed with excitement. Now, having been tempered by the essence blood of the Divine Dragon, even if his Physique hadn't reached 3000, he could completely swallow the Dragon Pill—and besides, it was already at level 6200!

Ye Chen reached out and snatched the Dragon Pill toward him. A dense devouring force permeated from his fingers into the pill, shredding its interior and refining it into streams of pure Dragon Qi, which he absorbed into his body!

As the Dragon Qi floated in, a faint golden sheen emerged on Ye Chen’s skin, making it smoother and more lustrous. His aura was heavy, suffused with a suppressed majesty. Just standing there, he exuded the chilling, ancient aura of a savage beast!

This Dragon Qi was incredibly potent, carrying a tearing sensation. Once integrated into the body, it transformed into sweet dew, seeping into the tendons and bones, coating them as if with gold, doubling the refinement of the skin and skeletal structure, completely tempering his Physique without increasing his raw strength!

However, a higher Physique level meant greater vitality, and strength would naturally increase slowly as a consequence.

Time flowed by…

While Ye Chen was consuming the Dragon Pill, the outside world underwent a massive transformation. Over these days, the Brightness Base City expanded rapidly, its occupied territory surging dramatically. It grew from the original small Shennongjia region to encompass all of Wuhan City and extend far beyond, even claiming nearby surrounding cities.

Vast tracts of rice paddies were cultivated within the perimeter. At a glance, everything was a sea of gold, with no sign of the dilapidated urban ruins of the past.

With this expansion, numerous problems arose consecutively, such as water shortages and the necessity of pest control, specifically against locusts.

Xu Tianguo was constantly overwhelmed. He handed off the water resource issues to the subordinate hydraulic engineering departments, while he personally dispatched personnel to deal with the locust monsters. He even borrowed a few flying monsters from Xiao Hei to patrol above the rice fields; these beasts would immediately rush out to fight any approaching army of bird-like monsters.

Yet, in addition to these challenges, other significant issues began to surface.

On March 18th of Dark Era Year 1, a drought struck Qichun, Hubei, accompanied by a sudden rise in temperature. Geologists detected signs suggesting activity beneath a subterranean volcano!

On March 21st of Dark Era Year 1, a massive sandstorm occurred in Nanchang, Hubei, sweeping eastward toward the Brightness Base City. It entered Wuhan City but was ultimately destroyed through the combined efforts of the Black Snail Worm Legion and the Mistress of Purple Cloud Island, thus preventing the crops planted within the city from being ruined.

On March 23rd of Dark Era Year 1, a volcanic eruption occurred in Qichun, Hubei, resulting in ground collapse, landslides, and the scattering of mutated beasts…

Wave after wave of bad news arrived continuously, striking fear into Xu Tianguo’s heart. He swiftly reported these circumstances to Ye Chen.

After a week of cultivation, the Dragon Pill was completely absorbed. The abundant energy caused Ye Chen’s physical strength to surge, his body taking on a metallic sheen, his skin smoother, imbued with a profound, majestic aura.

His cell strength and genes had both transformed. His Physique reached level 7000!

A total increase of 800 levels!

Advancing in power becomes exponentially harder at later stages, making such a substantial leap solely thanks to a Dragon Pill exceedingly rare. Moreover, Ye Chen had consumed other treasures, but their effects were marginal, boosting his strength by only a few dozen levels.

Creak!

The door was pushed open. Xu Tianguo walked in with a deeply troubled expression. He glanced at Ye Chen, then quietly stood to the side, waiting patiently. Though his anxiety burned fiercely within, he dared not make a sound to disturb him.

After a long moment, Ye Chen let out a gentle breath of stale air and opened his eyes. He said plainly, "What is it?" Slowly, he rose and stretched his body; having sat motionless for seven days, his limbs felt nearly numb.

Xu Tianguo hurriedly reported, "Today, an earthquake struck east of Wuhan City. Much of the crops were destroyed, resulting in heavy losses!"

Ye Chen frowned slightly. "What magnitude was the earthquake? How much was lost?"

"A magnitude four earthquake!" Xu Tianguo said with obvious distress. "We lost several thousand mu of crops. Thankfully, the affected area was small; otherwise, perhaps all the crops in Wuhan City would have suffered."

Ye Chen inwardly breathed a slight sigh of relief. "It's fine, we'll just replant."

While several thousand mu was a significant amount, replanting would take only a day. The real difficulty was waiting several months for the new harvest, and given the current season, it was uncertain if planting was even suitable now.

Hearing the reports from the past few days, Ye Chen’s mood turned heavy. He asked Xu Tianguo, "What did the agricultural experts say about when the crops will mature?"

Xu Tianguo replied bitterly, "At least another month is required!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh internally. Based on the current situation, the geographical environment must be extremely unstable. He wondered when the Ice Age would arrive. In just these few days, several natural disasters had struck Hubei Province alone; the rest of the world was likely in an even worse state.

Droughts everywhere, earthquakes everywhere…

"One month. I hope the Ice Age doesn't arrive within this month," Ye Chen murmured for a moment, then commanded, "Go recruit some talent below. Have them constantly monitor the conditions of the North Pole glaciers. If they begin to melt, report it immediately!"

Xu Tianguo nodded. "We are already monitoring that. The North Pole has warmed and shows signs of gradual melting. I don't know if it can hold out for another month; otherwise, these crops…"

Ye Chen waved his hand. "Do our best, and leave the rest to fate."

Xu Tianguo's spirit sharpened. He realized Ye Chen was right and nodded immediately. "Yes! By the way, regarding the Ice Age, should we notify the Huaxia Base City? If we don't notify them, they will certainly wait until the grain is fully mature before harvesting. By then, the great flood will inundate the land, and it will be too late. So many people relying on food—they will inevitably fall into hardship. At that time, our surplus grain will give us a massive advantage, allowing us to negotiate from the most favorable position."

Ye Chen nodded. He couldn't deny this was an excellent way to pressure the other base cities. Without hesitation, he stated, "Notify them. Tell them to prepare in advance and be extremely cautious."

Xu Tianguo paused, looking at Ye Chen strangely, trying to decipher his meaning. This was a prime opportunity to crush the Huaxia Base City, perhaps even absorbing them entirely as a branch of the Brightness Base City. Yet, Ye Chen passed on such a perfect chance?

He recalled Ye Chen’s ruthless demeanor when slaughtering enemies and felt a pang of bitterness, unsure if this man was petty or noble—impossible to fathom…

Ye Chen paid no mind to Xu Tianguo’s thoughts. Having lived ten years longer than most, coupled with his current transcendent status, his vision was much further-reaching; he would not commit the folly of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

After Xu Tianguo left, Ye Chen rested in the base city for two days, doing nothing, completely relaxing. He stretched his facial muscles, disguised himself as someone else, went shopping with his sister, drank with Bai Long and the others, or visited Mo Feng’s research institute to watch him conduct experiments…

The days were leisurely and carefree.

However, Ye Chen’s mind was constantly preoccupied with the looming Ice Age. He simply didn't show it—it was better to bear the worry himself than to burden others with it.

The streets were bustling with people coming and going.

Ye Chen felt a deep sense of reflection. In his previous life, he had been just one of this multitude; now, he was the one looking down upon them!

Ye Zhu walked beside him, carrying trinkets—inexpensive items bought simply for fun, savoring the memory of life in peacetime.

Suddenly—

"Hey!" an arrogant voice called out from behind. "Little miss, smile for your big brother."

Ye Chen turned to glance over. He saw three young men, clad in leather armor and wielding battle knives, possessing a certain imposing presence that suggested decent strength. The leading young man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, possessing a certain handsome quality, but his mouth held the swagger of a street punk, a blue cigarette hanging from his lips, his eyes arrogant.

"Beauty, you're too pretty to be tagging along with a pretty boy. Just follow me, and I guarantee you'll eat and drink like royalty!" the young man boasted. In the apocalypse, food and drink were the ultimate temptations. In peaceful times, who would utter such a cliché line?

A playful glint crossed Ye Zhu’s eyes. She turned to Ye Chen and chuckled, "I didn't expect to run into this sort of situation right here in our own base city."

Ye Chen shot the young man and his companions a cold look. Hearing Ye Zhu’s remark, he felt a wave of helplessness, rolled his eyes at the girl, then turned. With a wave of his hand, an invisible force seized the three young men, throwing them into the distance, where they landed headfirst, their faces bruised and swollen.

When the three struggled to their feet in utter shock, they could only stare at the receding figures of the young man and the woman in white walking away hand-in-hand. A chill ran down their spines. What level of power allowed someone to fling them away with just a wave of the hand? Though they were brash, they possessed some basic common sense. They immediately began bowing and apologizing profusely before scrambling away as fast as they could.

"Heh heh heh…" Seeing this, Ye Zhu linked her arm through Ye Chen's, laughing until her eyes narrowed.

Ye Chen gave her an exasperated look. "What are you laughing at?"

Ye Zhu showed no fear, stuck out her tongue slightly, and teased, "I'm laughing because the esteemed Guild Master is mistaken for just some passerby in his own base city, heh heh heh…"

Ye Chen looked utterly resigned. Because he was resting, he was dressed very plainly in common silk robes, not the standard leather armor. In the apocalypse, silk was the lowest grade of clothing, which was why those men dared to speak to him so insolently.

After two days of leisure, a bombshell piece of news suddenly reached Ye Chen’s ears: The Dark Army was attacking!

It was early morning on this particular day.

Ye Chen was still dressed in a light, pale-white long shirt, sweatpants, his long black hair flowing, his eyes clear and bright as if holding starlight. He stood atop the city wall, looking straight ahead into the distance. A fierce, biting wind whipped his top, making the fabric snap loudly.

The surrounding soldiers stood quietly to the side, not daring to even breathe heavily, gazing at Ye Chen with deep reverence, heads lowered and eyes averted.

According to intelligence reported by Xu Tianguo, a massive host of monsters was assembling in the north. A human figure was leading them. Based on previous experience, they deduced that this human was most likely a creature of the Dark forces!

Besides Dark Creatures and Ye Chen, there was no other person on Earth capable of subduing a level 5000 monster as a mount!

This information wasn't gathered by Xu Tianguo but discovered by Xiao Hei while subjugating monsters in the wilderness.

…

Third update complete, asking for votes.

Today is a total lunar eclipse. Old Gu has been observing the celestial phenomena; something bad is brewing. A demon has emerged in the north. All my brothers, remember: do not go out late at night, drink a bowl of boiled water before sleeping, eat more than three bowls of rice, and be asleep before midnight.

Old Gu leads the way—let’s retreat and sleep. RO